And Lead Us Not Into Conservation?

In a press conference yesterday, President Bush said he will not encourage Americans to conserve gasoline despite the (1) rising price of oil, (2) increased concerns about global warming, and (3) monumental need to seek alternative, and sustainable, sources of energy.

The President’s excuse? “[The American people] are smart enough to figure out whether they're going to drive less or not,” he said. “I mean, you know, it's interesting what the price of gasoline has done . . . [it’s] caused people to drive less. That's why they want smaller cars: They want to conserve. But the consumer's plenty bright. The marketplace works."

He continued, "You noticed my statement yesterday, I talked about good conservation and, you know, people can figure out whether they need to drive more or less. They can balance their own checkbooks. It's a little presumptuous on my part to dictate how consumers live their own lives."

Oh, I’ve got so much to say!

First: I agree. The American people are smart, it’s the U.S. government that’s wearing the dunces cap in the green classroom of life.

Second: Some of us have been driving hybrids long before the cost of gasoline reached $4. For many, this is an environmental issue, not just an economic issue.

Third: The President will lead us into an unjustified war. He’ll lead us into recession. He’ll lead us into a demolished housing market. But he won’t lead us into conservation?

Oh, and the point of yesterday’s press conference was to put pressure on Congress to approve off-shore oil drilling, a shameful move that will harm the environment without producing any oil for years. But even if it produced massive quantities of oil tomorrow, it still doesn’t reduce our dependence on the stuff.

I really, really don’t understand. And I really, really can’t wait for January 20, 2009.

Question of the blog: Do you think President Bush’s strong ties to the oil industry have clouded his judgment?